How to cut a circle in the tile with an angle grinder

Simple instructions on how to cut a hole in the tile for the outlet

The question of how to make a hole in the tile for a socket or pipe, often arises among craftsmen who perform repairs in bathrooms or kitchens. Drill a hole in tile can be achieved with a variety of tools. In this article we will consider all possible options.

Before you drill a hole in the tile material, you should prepare for the work. Circle under the electrical outlet on the wall surface must be made before installing tile coverings.

You should be prepared for the fact that in the process of cutting the circle the tile may split. The difficulty of working with this material is due to the fact that it is hard, but it is easily damaged. If the tile is covered with glaze, it creates additional difficulties, as the working tool is difficult to fix on the surface of the smooth and slippery material, and the drill bit can slip from the mark on which you need to cut a circle.

Therefore, the tiler needs to have a reserve of about 10-15% of the total amount of tile. You should also remember that the marking and drilling a hole in the tile is performed from the outside of the material. If you do it from the inside, the cut will not look neat enough.

To keep the drill in one position on the surface of the ceramic tile, it is recommended to cover the treated area with masking tape or medical adhesive tape. The tape will protect the tile from scratches and chips, and will not allow the drill to change its position.

Using an angle grinder

Often the question of how to make a hole in the tile for the socket, arises at the stage of laying tile coverings. While the material is not fixed on the wall, you can form a hole for the outlets with an angle grinder. This tool is suitable for performing shape cutting along the edge of the tile.

The master needs to mark the contours along which the cut will be made, and then equip the angle grinder with a diamond disc designed for dry cutting. After that you can start cutting from a comfortable edge. At the same time it is recommended to lead the angle grinder smoothly, in the direction from yourself. If the working area is uncomfortable, you can bring the tool to the middle, and then start cutting from the opposite side. But in this case there is a possibility of divergence of the cut line.

How to cut tiles with an angle grinder without chips and dust?

Prior to processing the careful performance of measurements. markings are made with a marker on the outer side of the ceramic tile. Since it’s impossible to make a perfectly straight cut in most cases, make a small allowance for trimming with a sharpener or nadfilm.

Straight cutting

The easiest variant of processing, even novices can cope with it. cutting tiles with a grinder in a straight line. First, the tool is fixed on a flat surface. You should place it so that the cutting edge hangs down from the table. The cutting direction should remain in the tiler’s line of sight, while the tile is placed face up.

If the angle grinder requires a variable speed, reduce the speed at the beginning and end of the work.

Curved cuts

Is performed more difficult than the first option, requires a certain skill. Work the tile by short cuts on a tangent line to the outer contour of the drawn figure (oval, circle). This will cut off small unnecessary fragments, and then achieve the desired configuration.

Also plan small allowances for trimming, and after finishing the contour by grinding, achieving smooth lines and removing chips.

Making rectangular holes in tiles

After outlining the borders of the rectangle, plates of steel are applied to its outer surface. The longitudinal plate will act as a ruler, and the transverse one as a stopper of the cutting tool movement.

Make the work easier by using a drill. Using it, some holes of about 5 mm in diameter are drilled inside the contour, and then through cuts are made with an angle grinder between the perforations.

Cutting holes

Only large diameter holes are cut with the angle grinder, and small holes are made with the drill or rotary table.

• Through the center of the hole circle mark two straight lines perpendicular to each other.
• Angle the grinder to make a small depression along the length of the circle, trying to adhere to its inner diameter.
• Gradually move in a circle, evenly sawing the thickness of the tile.
• As soon as there is enough depth, create straight, perpendicular lines through the center of the circle.
• Carefully remove the first segment to avoid chipping, then remove or knock out the other three.

For trimming the sawing line use a file, sandpaper wrapped around the bar, and a drill with a sanding nozzle.

Cutting at a 45-degree angle

Cutting tiles with an angle grinder is necessary when installing plastic or metal corners. This will help form a nice bevel edge when tile is laid diagonally.

A smooth and fast cut is only realistic with a diamond point. The tile is placed under the edge with the glazed side down. Positioning the angle grinder at an angle of 45 °, grind the back side. Once the angle is formed, the action is repeated, moving around the edge of the cut.

Some craftsmen start with a rectangular tile cut. Then the nozzle is directed so as to remove the excess ceramic at a given angle. Finish the work by sanding the edge.

Angle cutting ceramic tiles with an angle grinder at home is recommended to perform those models of grinders, where there is an adjustment of the speed of the disc.

Preparing for work

Cut a hole in the tile without dust and other debris is almost impossible, and this dust, and often fine crumbs, flies chaotically in different directions. Also in the process often break off fragments of products. Therefore, the selection of personal protective equipment for the worker and protecting the interior from contamination is necessary.

If you plan to make one or two holes in the tiles already laid on the wall, it is easier to use the tried-and-true method. fixing to the wall under the place of the future drilling package. It is glued to the wall with adhesive tape or masking tape and unfolded so that the dust falls into it.

If a large scale is involved, this method is not suitable. Professionals use dust collectors with dust extraction. In domestic conditions, it is better to prepare a vacuum cleaner or a brush with a dustpan, and to cover/cover surfaces, furniture and appliances that have already been finished with a film.

Personal protective equipment includes:

• tight clothing with little permeability to dust;
• High-quality shoes;
• gloves;
• Protective goggles/mask;
• headgear or headband (so as not to shake the dust out of your hair later);
• Dust mask or wet mouth and nose bandage.

Earplugs or noise muffling headphones are also very useful, as the work is noisy.

Marking a hole in the tile for a socket, switch, or pipe

It is also necessary to pre-mark the drilling locations. on the wall/floor/ceiling, if the tiles are already laid, or on individual tiles. The second option is preferable. Even if the integrity of the tile is compromised, it can be replaced by another, and on an already tiled surface, it is much more difficult to disguise a defect.

There are many options for marking. from the simplest “guessing on the fingers” to the use of special pattern templates.

Such a device. a template for copying forms 250 mm EDMA DUPLIC FORM 088255. will easily transfer to tile any complex outline and accurately make an opening in the tile for a pipe (pipes, protrusions walls and other elements).

Most home masters make do in the old fashioned way, by hand marking.

Pay attention: the marking of the hole for a socket is made so that the size of the hole was smaller than the outer contour of the electrical product, that is, the overlay must hide the edge of the cut tiles.

The photo above shows the installation of the outlet at the junction of four tiles. In reality this is not always possible and you have to cut a hole in the middle of the panel or closer to one of its edges.

Here it is important to take into account that usually the interior elements of sockets and switches are round. therefore the hole must also be round, 510% more than the base diameter of the electrical product.

For more complex shaped interior elements, such as those shown in the photo below, it is worth doing not a round hole, but to conjugate four round cutouts in straight sections.

How to cut a round hole in the tile with an angle grinder

Making a round hole in tile with an angle grinder, at first glance, is not a good choice. There are more convenient tools for this.

But there are times when this is only possible with an angle grinder. For example, when:

• For such cutters, you also need a Raimondi machine. If you use an angle grinder for this purpose, the bearing on it will not live long. The Polish tile and brick cutters used for this purpose have a maximum diameter of 83 mm.
• Polish cutters If the hole needs to be made in porcelain tile or floor tile. With a cutter or “ballerina” to make a hole will be problematic for any diameter.

In such cases, a little-known way to cut big round holes with an angle grinder can help. These holes need to be cut for sewer pipes and fans in the sanitary unit.

Its essence can only be understood by watching the video. Initially, you need to mark the hole (how to make an accurate marking is a topic for a separate discussion) and drew the oval with a felt-tip pen. The flomaster gives a thick trimmer line and it helps withstand the trimmer line when processing.

It is important when cutting an oval, to approach the cutting wheel as close as possible to the markings, but not to touch the line.

Once the through cuts appear on the tile, you need to cut the inner circle into four pieces and hammer out each sector (if they don’t fall out on their own before then).

Subsequently, to bring the cut hole to the line of the marker, you can from the back side with a turbine and a narrow piece of sharpening stone.

I agree that the most handy tool for making holes is a professional cutter. One of the variants of such a Montolit Mondrillo FS08 cutter in the video.

And another video about these cutters from the manufacturer of this tool.

The only thing that stops them is the price:

Using a diamond drill bit

Marking

Let’s start with the typical case where you need to drill a hole in the ceramic tiles for the pipe outlet for the faucet in the bathroom.

Such things should be taken into account even at the stage of laying, and try to make cutouts for pipes in the center of the tile. This is done by shifting the layout or changing the starting point of installation in the right place. If you can not install the tap exactly in the center, then you should try to hide this fact as much as possible, and not to highlight it by installing a number of decors or borders.

It is logical that both holes should be at the same height. Therefore, the first thing to do before you drill a tile is to measure the same distance from the floor. Not to fall into the vertical, we use a plummet with a weight or the bubble / laser level.

Measuring and marking the wall Next, you need to measure the required horizontal distance between the centers of the points and make two more marks. From the center of each point, measure the radius of the hole, so you know where the cut trimmer line will go.

When marking the tiles, take into account the size of the joint

Drilling

Set the drill to drilling mode and turn it to minimum rpm. Insert diamond drill bit into the chuck. They are available in different versions, e.g. for concrete, wood or metal. do not confuse when buying them. Also make sure that there is as much diamond dust on the workpiece as possible. It is better to use core bits with a centering drill bit to reduce the risk of displacement.

Start drilling carefully, using light pressure on the drill, but make sure it does not move out of position. When the glaze is cut through, you can increase the speed and the pressure.

During drilling, make sure there is water in the drill bit to keep it cool. Bosch has bits that have a coolant (olive oil) inside and can be run dry.

If you use a small diameter drill bit without a center drill bit, use it with a conductor to avoid displacement. You can make it with your own hands in 1 minute from a scrap of board or plywood. Make a hole of similar diameter in it and use it as a conductor, pressing it with your hand.

Processing of tiles with improvised tools

The question of how to cut a hole in the tile, if there is no electric jigsaw or angle grinder at hand, you can also solve with improvised means. As such means can be used an ordinary glass cutter, pliers or pliers. To make a hole in a tile when using them, you can use the following algorithm:

• Pre-mark the contours of the future hole.
• To make the tile material more pliable, the product can be held in warm water for a while.
• Using the glass cutter, a groove is made along the outlined contour. In this case the working part of the tool must not be torn from the tile surface. When cutting a furrow, exert considerable pressure on the tool, taking care not to damage the workpiece.
• The cut made on the tile surface should be tapped with the head of the glass cutter to make the groove deeper.
• The cut out part of the tile is removed with pliers or pliers, piece by piece, until a hole with relatively straight edges is formed inside the cut line.
• A fine grit emery cloth can be used to even out the edges of the cut.

Use a wooden block with sandpaper wrapped around it to grind

How to turn an angle grinder into a tile cutter

It is not always comfortable to hold the angle grinder by weight when cutting tiles and perform all the work only by hand. To simplify this task, the tool can be turned into a device which leaves both hands free. It resembles an electric tile cutter, and the transformation of the angle grinder itself is carried out as follows:

• The first thing to do is to find a suitable place to place the machine. The base of the tile cutter can be made of sheet metal, in which it will be necessary to make a slot to deepen the circle. On this strip in the future and will occur all the work, as well as it will allow a more convenient orientation in the process of sawing.
• The next step is to perform the fixation of the angle grinder. To fix the device in the desired position, you need to resort to the use of special clamps. If necessary, they can be made by hand, but it should be borne in mind that in this case, there is a possibility of tearing the fastening bolts in the process of making the cut.

Note! This self-made electric tile cutter can be improved in the future with a container of water and a wet-cutting nozzle, which will get rid of dust and fully cool the cutting element during the work.

• After fixing the tool, you can make a test cut. To do this, you need to lay the tiles according to the marks, then you should turn on the angle grinder and slowly lower the wheel. The tile must be cut on the outer side, pushing the product away from you.

If done correctly, you will get a tile cut in two pieces with smooth edges and no chips, cracks or roughness. If you need to bring the tile to an ideal condition, you can use fine-grained sandpaper or a file.

Safety rules when using an angle grinder

When using this tool because of its hazard category, it is imperative to observe a number of the following safety rules:

• A protective cover must be installed on the used angle grinder, which will eliminate the possibility of direct hit of sparks or splinters.
• For the convenience of ongoing work and to avoid damage to the cable length of the device should be at least 2 m.
• While cutting tiles, wear protective a respirator, gloves, overalls, goggles and safety shoes.
• When the angle grinder is on, hold it firmly with both hands and cut the material by rotating the cutting element away from you.
• Avoid exerting excessive pressure on the blade.
• To avoid electric shock do not cut materials that are submerged in water.
• It is advisable to use the tool in a ventilated area, since the dust it generates is explosive.
• For each material to be cut, the angle grinder should be equipped with a wheel of the appropriate type: for metal. abrasive, and for tile. diamond dry cutter.
• In the working condition it is undesirable to hold the tool vertically, because in such a situation it can escape from hands and cause injury or damage to the tile being sawn.
• During the operation of the angle grinder is necessary to avoid very low and extremely high speed.

Figuring out how to cut tiles with an angle grinder without chips and following all of these rules and recommendations, you can with their own hands make right cuts without too much difficulty and avoid potential damage to the material.

The best cutting wheel for cutting ceramic tiles in 2013.

“Best” is not a price-quality comparison. But simply the “best” in terms of quality and cutting speed. At one time, this place was taken by Bosch. But, currently, their price is almost twice as high as similar products of the corporation “D-Star” and the quality of cutting is worse. Maybe their quality remained at the same level, but there were just better products.

Di-Star” products have been on the Ukrainian market for a long time (in 1998 Dmytro Hughes took the place of “D-Star” corporation).). these were cutting-off wheels of the subsidiary company “Ukr-Diamant. The wheel could be used for more than a year. But the were high and other manufacturers were more popular. Currently, the cutting wheel for cutting angle grinder with a diameter of 125 mm is about 20, and cuts ceramic tile with almost no chips.

The first reviews of the “Di-Star” circles appeared:

Safety precautions when cutting tiles with an angle grinder.

One, you have to wear safety glasses. Ceramic splinters fly out at high speed and often get stuck in the eye. It is difficult to remove such a splinter by oneself.

Second. When cutting, it is necessary to cut with the lower third of the circle, not deepening below the cut more than half of the circle. If this is not done, the turbine often jumps. The consequences can vary, from damaged tiles to hand injuries.

about proper cutting tiles without chips, and creating holes in it, with an angle grinder, more in the book.

It can be downloaded without any “hassle” by clicking on the picture.

Using an angle grinder

Often the question of how to make a hole in the tile for the socket, arises at the stage of laying tile coverings. While the material is not fixed on the wall, you can form a hole for the outlets with an angle grinder. This tool is suitable for making a curved cut along the edge of the tile.

The master needs to mark the contours by which the cut will be made, and then equip the angle grinder with a diamond disc designed for dry cutting. After that, you can start cutting from a convenient edge. In this case, it is recommended to lead the angle grinder smoothly, in the direction away from yourself. If the working area is uncomfortable, you can bring the tool to the middle, and then start cutting from the opposite side. But in this case there is a probability of divergence of the cut line.

Doing the job with a jigsaw

The previous method involves cutting a hole in the tile from the edge of the tile. But many craftsmen are interested in how to drill a circle in the middle of the slab. This can be done with an electric jigsaw with a diamond wire, as well as a drill with a drill bit (to form a hole in the place of cutting).

At the initial stage of the work it is necessary to outline the contours of the circle with a pencil or marker. This should be done on the front side of the board. If the working area is close to the edge, you can immediately start cutting. If the hole will be in the center, it is advisable to use a drill to drill a small hole in the place of the future circle. Then it is necessary to pass a cutting thread through this hole and bring the tool to the border of the cut.

Then you need to guide the jigsaw slowly along the marking. At the same time from the line it is necessary to make a small indentation inside, so as not to cut off unnecessary. Openings for sockets can be made with an ordinary hacksaw, but the quality of work will be lower.

Cutting discs for tiles

Cutting ceramic or granite tiles requires stone discs or steel discs with a diamond-coated edge (Suhoresis). As practice showed, the best performance when cutting edges of porcelain stoneware or just ceramics was showed by diamond discs. Further, about each of discs in more detail.

Simple stone discs

These discs are the cheapest ones for stone, their life time is short and they are subject to frequent changes. In addition they are thicker than their diamond competitors, respectively, and the line for trimmer cutting with these discs is thicker, and dusting at work is also more. Such wheels have a high risk of chipping on the cutting edge, and it seems that the disc remains intact, but according to safety regulations it must be replaced, because further destruction of the edge can cause injury to the worker.

Discs with diamond coating

Dry cutters are able to carry high loads without overheating and destroying. The only condition is that direct contact with the cutting surface should not exceed 90 seconds, then the disc must cool down in idle mode, after which you can get back to work. When buying a cutting tool, craftsmen often give preference to a continuous diamond coating.

If you notice a glowing streak across the edge of the wheel during cutting, stop the process immediately or the tile will be overheated and ruined. But don’t get upset, the disc is still working, but has overheated. Just make a couple of cuts on any abrasive surface (rubble stone, granite, sandstone) and the wheel will be as good as new again. Dry cutters are of two kinds: segmented, solid.

• Segmented diamond discs. This type is presented in the form of a steel disc divided into segments. In fact, a blade has an interrupted cutting edge. With such a wheel you can cut both ceramics and natural stone. Although they have a better cooling capacity, they tend to chip more often, so they are not good for filigree work.
• One-piece diamond grinding discs. These wheels can do a wider range of jobs: in addition to the function of cutting tiles and stone, they can work on the side edge, giving it the desired angle and shape. Due to the minimal detonation, the circle allows you to cut glazed tiles with almost no chips.

Cutting tiles without chipping

To keep chipping to a minimum, try to stick to the following rules when working with the tool:

• Linear cut. Draw a marking on the front of the tile with a construction marker. Make sure that the disc is correctly clamped in the direction of rotation indicated on the grinder and on the wheel. Get the angle grinder up and running and let it gather its working speed. Secure the tile with rubber clamps on a flat surface, so as to prevent any sudden changes in position while cutting. Make even, effortless cuts along the marked line with a depth of 2-4 mm, based on the thickness of the glaze and the body of the tile itself. Pass through the glaze very slowly and as responsibly as possible, after this step you can apply a little pressure and bring the process to completion. And also there is a variant not to cut the body of the tile to the end, and the cut edge should be broken off and the edge should be finished off with an abrasive.
• Cutting a round hole with a large diameter. Apply a marker to the point that will be the center of the circle. Then with a drill bit with pobeditovye tip to drill a hole in the place of the mark with a diameter of 3-4 mm through. Now it is necessary to put a marking of the circle of necessary diameter on both sides of the tile. Then using an angle grinder to make short 2-3 mm notches on the contour of the marked circle, only after that you can cut through the circle from the inside, and remove the remains with pliers. For complete removal of chips the edges of the hole must be processed with a file and sandpaper.
• Rectangular hole. To make a linear marking of the hole with a marker and a template, then drill through holes with a diameter of 7 mm in the corners, not protruding beyond the marked out contour. Then use an angle grinder to join the holes with even cuts. Now you can remove the cut ceramic fragment, and the edges can be processed until the chips disappear.

If you want in the body of the tiles can cut a hole of any diameter and shape, especially in today’s building world there are all kinds of nozzles and accessories for angular grinders. The only thing you should never forget is to observe the necessary safety precautions when working with an angle grinder!